Our Town Series; Mendonsa is Folsom's Renaissance woman

Publishers note: the following story is the first of several to some in the Folsom Telegraph's new "Our Town" community profile series that will regularly spotlight our community's unique residents and public figures over the months to come. The undeniable talent of Cristina Mendonsa, longtime Folsom resident, spans decades.She is an award-winning journalist, spokeswoman, public speaker, mentor, producer and entrepreneur. Mendonsa was born in Oakland and later moved with her family to Sacramento in elementary school. The clan would settle in Carmichael, where she spent most of her childhood."My father had a pretty interesting job; he did dignitary protection for several governors. He started with Governor Reagan and went all the way through the Brown administration, and left during the Wilson years. He was in charge of the dignitary protection unit (which is kind of like the Secret Service for the state of California) during the Brown years. There was a lot of politics talk going around the table growing up," reminisced Mendonsa. Her father would share the comings and goings at the capitol and different characters who would meet with the governor."My mom was a stay-at-home mom, but she was a really talented genealogist. She would teach courses on genealogy and I developed a love of research through watching her. I learned how to research and that led me as well to my career as a reporter," said Mendonsa.Mendonsa joined the newspaper and yearbook team in high school, and her passion for storytelling was ignited."I did a stint on Channel 6 as one of the announcers for an auction. That was my first on-camera experience," said Mendonsa.Mendonsa graduated from high school and transferred to American River College, where she knew she needed to begin her journalism journey pronto. She wrote for the Fair Oaks Post and interned at various radio stations, and landed a job in the news department."Back then (the late '80s). pretty much every music station had a newsroom. I worked for several radio stations in the news department. Interestingly enough, I never worked for KFBK, whom I work for now," said Mendonsa.Mendonsa began an internship at Channel 31 while still working at the radio station and being a full time student at California State University at Sacramento, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and journalism. She was hired at Channel 31 as a writer, but her aspirations were vast. "I needed to find a market where I could be on air, so I started sending tapes out and got a job writing as an ABC affiliate. I was a producer, weekend anchor and reporter," said Mendonsa. The road there wasn't easy, Mendonsa discovered. She sent out 50 tapes and got three calls back. Mendonsa was a "one man band" during her time in the starter market. Within six months, she got a job at Channel 13 as an overnight anchor position, "basically headline news at the top of the hour during the overnight hours, when local channels were trying to compete with CNN," said Mendonsa.After about six months, Mendonsa said, she got a big break in the industry."Just as you hear about in stories and movies, there was a big breaking news story in the morning and there was no one else there, so they sent me out. I had done radio and was used to being a live reporter. I did that story, and after that, they moved me into the general assignment ranks," said Mendonsa.About a year later, she was offered a job in San Diego and later moved to Denver. "To move up, you have to move on. I needed to leave California for a while and see what the rest of the country is doing," said Mendonsa."I learned so much there, I spent five years there. With some of the best photojournalists in the country, I covered big stories like the Clinton inauguration, that's where I became the reporter I wanted to be. At the end of my time at KUSA, I was at the morning anchor desk for about the last year," said Mendonsa. Mendonsa, a newlywed at the time, had a decision to make; she could go to Philadelphia for work or come to Sacramento. She came back to the West Coast."I knew Sacramento; this was a main anchor position at ABC. I thought I know the state, I know the stories, my family is there and I'm going to come home," said Mendonsa. Mendonsa became a household name in Sacramento.In 2017, a format change (which was the case all over the country, Mendonsa shared) meant her contract wouldn't be renewed. She decided to try something different. After some mentors urged her to do so, she took the leap and started her own business, Mendonsa Media."I started helping companies tell their stories and that evolved into marketing strategy, helping them build content. It's deeply satisfying to be able to help these businesses tell their stories," said Mendonsa, who was thrilled she could continue to be creative.KFBK was the next great adventure, where she now works as a radio personality during a morning radio show. "It's been a blast. We (Sam Shane) have built this show that we are really proud of. It's four hours every morning during the morning drive. Instead of just presenting stories and reading headlines, we talk about the news, it's more of a conversational format with each other, and I have always been a fan of radio. I feel honored to be able to have a spot still helping people understand and put their news in context," said Mendonsa.She and her husband, author and educator Jonathan Robinette, raised two daughters together in Folsom, where they reside and enjoy. And if you like Thai food, stop into Thai Paradise for some delicious fare, and grab a table at "Cristina's Corner.""My husband and I went there the first weekend they were open. We loved the food. The next week, I was interviewed by PBS and I was asked what my favorite restaurant was and I said Thai Paradise. The Thai Paradise owner, Alex, told me after that, they had a line out the door! I don't take credit for that; the food is really good. The next thing I know, he asks me for a picture and it was there in the corner at the restaurant. I was honored and flattered," said Mendonsa. "This is the most beautiful community," said Mendonsa about Folsom. When she isn't working, she enjoys exercising, yoga, reading, creative writing, gardening (her favorite flower to grow is the dinner plate Hibiscus) and mentor aspiring journalists. Do you know of a local resident that has a unique career, special talent or is a key figure to the community. Nominate them for consideration in the Telegraph's Our Town series so we can tell share their story. Email amandar@goldcountrymedia.com.